Glove for Sports People and Tradesmen

ABSTRACT

A glove ( 10 ) for use by sports people and tradesmen includes a partial hand covering portion ( 12 ) having openings through which fingers and thumb can protrude. There is also a wrist covering portion ( 14 ) connected to the hand covering portion. The hand and wrist covering portions are adapted to absorb sweat. The glove also includes gripping means ( 18 ) formed on the palm side of the hand covering portion, and means for retaining the position of the glove during hand movement at locations where the hand covering portion meets the fingers and thumb and where the wrist covering portion meets the arm.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention relates to improvements in gloves and, inparticular, to gloves for use by any person that is involved inactivities requiring stable and effective gripping by, and manipulationof, the hand, such as sports people and tradesmen.

The invention has particular application to reducing or mopping up sweatbuild up in the palm, wrist and fingers of the hand, to improving handgrip and control of hand held sports equipment and mechanical tools, andto preventing, or assisting in the recovery of, hand and wrist injuries.

The invention also has application to absorbing or dampening thevibration or shock experienced by the hand when a person is engaged insports or trade activities.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

People undergoing an activity involving extreme physical exertion oftenexperience profuse sweating in the palm, wrist and fingers of theirhands which may hamper them in efficiently continuing, or maintainingthe standard of, that activity. This is especially a problem for playersof racquet sports, but equally affects other sports people andtradesmen, such as operators of high powered, manually supported, drillsand jack hammers.

For such people, the problem may eventually lead to a lack of effectivegrip and, in some cases, to injuries to wrist and fingers.

Sweat bands, in most cases made of terry towelling and located aroundthe wrist, have been used to absorb some of the sweat that travels downthe forearm towards the hand. However, sweat bands only absorb a portionof the sweat and do not prevent sweat from below the wrist adverselyaffecting the grip and control exerted by the hand.

Wrist supports, relying on compression of the anatomical structurearound the wrist, have been used to prevent wrist injury and improvehand grip strength.

These and other devices have been used separately or in a stand alonemanner by people involved in activities requiring stable and effectivegripping by, and manipulation of, the hand, such as sports people andtradesmen, all without much success.

The prior art is littered with many gloves that have sought to addressthese and other problems in the field, but nearly all have involvedbulky, uncomfortable to wear, and unreliable shapes and forms that donot allow the user the freedom of hand and wrist movement that they mayrequire for their activity.

For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 4,525,877 discloses a sports glove for usein racquet sports which has a leather front portion and rear and wristportions made of absorbent terry toweling or cloth. However, the glovefully covers the fingers, and has reinforcing pads overlaying the highwear parts of the finger portions. The users fingers are therefore notexposed, and may have their movement impeded by the layered materialthat covers them.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,706,521 discloses a full hand covering sports and workglove assembly having a pair of first pads attached to a back portion ofa glove piece, and a pair of second pads which detachably engage to thefirst pads, the second pads including absorbent cloth material so that,upon engagement of the pads to the glove piece, the cloth material canbe used to wipe sweat from the user. However, the glove assembly iscomplex and time consuming to assemble, and may be prone to loss of itsparts.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,843,651 discloses a non-finger tip covering, wristsupport glove made of material which, although identified as beingbreathable and stretchable, is very bulky and may be uncomfortable towear. The glove includes a hand covering section made of panels ofmaterial and a wrist wrap section made of two or more wraps around thewrist of the user and which is fastened by hook and loop means.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,864,660 discloses a full hand covering glove having aback portion to which is attached a protective package made from one ormore layers of abrasion and impact resistant material, such as overlaidlayers of foam and cowhide, and so is poorly suited to activitiesrequiring supple hand, wrist and finger movement.

US Patent Application No. 2003/0000005 discloses a barbell grippingglove with a plurality of grip pads on the palm side. Although assistingwith grip, the grip pads limit the flexibility of the glove, and so theglove is ill suited to sports activities.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,276 discloses a partial hand covering glove havingan inelastic palm and wrist overlying anel, a wrist anchor strap, andelastic restraining loops for the fingers, the arrangement seeking torestrain bunching of the panel in the user's palm. However, the glovedoes not cover the joint between the thumb and the palm, and so sweatmay build up in that area and inhibit the user.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,277 discloses a therapeutic support glove havingpockets formed on both sides of a wrist or cuff portion for inserting aheat pack, a cold pack, or a magnetic pack for a desired therapeuticpurpose. Although the fingers are not covered by the glove, the purposeof the glove is not that it be used during sports or other activitiesthat may lead to a build up of sweat in the hands, but that it be usedfor recovering from wrist injuries.

it will be apparent from the above summary of the prior art that thereis a need for a glove for use by sports people and tradesmen that islight weight and not bulky, simple in structure, flexible, easilywashable, provides wrist protection and sweat absorption properties, andhas improved grip strength.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a glove that willsatisfy the above requirements and so overcome or substantiallyameliorate the shortcomings and disadvantages of the aforementionedprior art, or to at least provide a useful and cost effectivealternative.

According to the invention there is provided a glove for use by sportspeople and tradesmen, comprising a partial hand covering portion havingopenings through which fingers and thumb can protrude, a wrist coveringportion connected to the hand covering portion, the hand and wristcovering portions being adapted to absorb sweat, gripping means formedon the palm side of the hand covering portion, and means for retainingthe position of the glove during hand movement at locations where thehand covering portion meets the fingers and thumb and where the wristcovering portion meets the arm.

Preferably, the wrist covering portion includes a plurality of magneticmeans for assisting in recovery from wrist injuries.

It is preferred that the gripping means comprises a plurality of latexrubber grip projections.

In a preferred form, the glove is woven or knitted into one piece.

SUMMARY OF DRAWINGS

In order that the invention may be readily understood and put intopractical effect, reference will now be made to the accompanyingdrawings, in which: —

FIG. 1 is a palm side view of a first preferred glove of the presentinvention worn on a user's left hand,

FIG. 2 is a back of the hand view of a slightly modified glove of FIG.1,

FIG. 3 is a back of the hand view of a second preferred glove of thepresent invention worn on a user's left hand,

FIG. 4 is a palm side view of the glove of FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a palm side view of a third preferred glove of the presentinvention worn on a users left hand, and

FIG. 6 is a back of the hand view of the glove of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The glove 10 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 has a partial hand covering portion12 with openings for the fingers and thumb to protrude, and a wristcovering portion 14. The hand and wrist covering portions 12, 14 areinterconnected, say, by weaving or knitting. Both the hand and wristcovering portions 12, 14 are able to absorb sweat, with the wristcovering portion being particularly absorbent as it is, in thisinstance, made of terry toweling or a like material. The palm side ofthe glove has gripping means formed thereon which, in this instance, area plurality of latex and/or neoprene rubber grip projections. The endsof the glove nearest the fingers and thumb will not roll up or down dueto a tight, elastic fit, and nor will this happen to the free end of thewrist covering portion of the glove.

The glove 10 b of FIG. 2 only differs from the glove 10 a of FIG. 1 inthat, in FIG. 2, the ends of the glove nearest the fingers and thumb arejoined between the fingers, so that each finger has its own fingerprojecting opening, whereas, in FIG. 1, no such joins exist but thefingers end of the glove 10 a has a single opening through which all thefingers protrude.

Specifically, The glove of FIGS. 1 and 2 has a palm covering, non-slipgrip portion 18 that also extends partially around the back of the handfor extra grip capability. There is also a mesh region 20 covering thethumb between the first and second knuckles, and a sweat absorbentregion 22 with a stiffened but still flexible support material to coverthe wrist. An additional sweat band may be located over the absorbentregion 22 if desired.

Ideally, the glove provides the features of (a) a sweat band on theouter back of the hand and down to half way or three quarters down theforearm and around to the wrist area, (b) a grip in the palm of the handto assist in the control of sports equipment and tools, and (c) aninternal compressive support for the wrist and hand in the prevention ofwrist and thumb injuries or for assisting in the recovery from suchinjuries. These three features are woven or knitted seamlessly into aone piece glove.

The glove 26 shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is similar to that of FIG. 2, and solike numbers will be used to identify like features in the drawings. Thetop of the glove 26 covers the knuckles of the fingers and thumb, andstretches with movement of the hand but does not roll over upon itself.Latex rubber grip projections cover the palm region and parts of theback of the hand region, there being a greater thumb gripping capabilityin the glove 26 by virtue of the grip projections extending further upthe thumb than in the glove 10. The back of the glove may serve as aplatform for displaying logos of sponsors and the like. A sweat band isknitted to conform to the shape of the hand around the wrist and palmregions, and also to provide support and warmth. Between the sweat bandand the skin may be inserted a therapeutic wrist support, which is madeof neoprene and/or medical compression garment type materials. It is notvisible from the outside of the glove, and it is inner joined or wovento the sweat band. The wrist support is seamless and provides extrasupport in the form of a more tightly woven or stretched material, asmay be required during highly physical activities. The length of bothsweat band and wrist support is approximately 20 to 22 cm from theknuckles to the lower arm adjacent the wrist. Depending on the size ofthe person, it can be made for small, medium and large hands.

Magnetic means, in the form of a plurality of small disc magnets 40, areinserted within the sweat band (preferably adjacent therapeutic pressurepoints) for assisting in recovery from wrist injuries. Such magnets canbe inserted between the wrist support and the sweat band area of thewrist where blood circulation is plentiful.

The glove 32 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has a fingers end in which there isno join between the two fingers furthest from the thumb, but otherwisethe glove 32 is similar to that of FIGS. 1 to 4 and has been numberedaccordingly in the drawings.

A winter sports version of the glove of the present invention includes athin velvet layer in contact with the skin, a thermoneoprene layersupporting the velvet layer, and a sweat band material such as terrytowelling over the outside of the glove but not covering the palm area.The palm area may be covered by latex grip material.

A summer sports version of the glove of the present invention includes acompression garment material in contact with the skin, and a sweat bandmaterial over the outside of the glove but not covering the palm area.The palm area may be covered by latex grip material.

It will be readily apparent to persons skilled in the art that variousmodifications may be made in details of design and construction of theglove and in the steps of manufacturing the glove without departing fromthe scope or ambit of the present invention.

The reference in this specification to any prior publication (orinformation derived from it), or to any matter which is known, is not,and should not, be taken as an acknowledgement or admission or any formof suggestion that that prior art publication (or information derivedfrom it) or known matter forms part of the common general knowledge inthe field of endeavour to which this specification relates before thepriority data of this patent application.

1. A glove for use by sports people and tradesmen, comprising a partialhand covering portion having openings through which fingers and thumbcan protrude, a wrist covering portion connected to the hand coveringportion, the hand and wrist covering portions being adapted to absorbsweat, gripping means formed on the palm side of the hand coveringportion, and means for retaining the position of the glove during handmovement at locations where the hand covering portion meets the fingersand thumb and where the wrist covering portion meets the arm.
 2. Theglove of claim 1 wherein the wrist covering portion includes a pluralityof magnetic means for assisting in recovery from wrist injuries.
 3. Theglove of claim 1 or claim 2 wherein the gripping means comprises aplurality of latex rubber grip projections.
 4. The glove of any one ofclaims 1 to 3 wherein the glove is woven or knitted into one piece. 5.(canceled)